I'm reading this thread and it is cheering me up in a strange way cos ds1 was just the same as Piggy and Sunshine last year. He is still struggling with A levels but I feel like despite the severe troughs he has learned a lot even struggling through the subjects (ds is doing Music English and now he's changed one A level to Sports Science Diploma Btec (which is a mini-btec equivalent to one A level)
He has suddenly become very interested in Shakespeare and his singing is better than ever. But he doesn't read around the subjects, cannot analyse for toffee, cannot socialise outside school and is fixated on the idea that he is "going to uni" although he is so not ready to do another academic course without a year out to reflect retake.
He likes the Btec he is doing (Sports Science) but business Btec would not have suited him at all, which is what they offered as an alternative to A levels at the beginning, as he just doesn't seem to "get" business principles.
Looking back there are several options I would be suggesting to myself. 1. get him tested for any deficiencies NOW (as winter wore on his lethargy increased because he had a severe Vit D Deficiency,he got more and more tired and stressed and behind because of this)
- don't box him into a corner with threats and warnings - try to let him re-engage himself - because really they want to be in school with their peers and they want to be part of things, but it is so so easy for them to say..to hell with it - I'm a failure, so the best thing is to keep doors open
- Cs and Ds are fine at this stage, just aim for one grade higher at present, don't write off the prospect of Bs and Cs. Great is the enemy of the Good. I feel so cross that Ds was told he had to get a C in an exam to go through, when he was at a E level - he worked like a slave to get a high D and they said he had to resit it in Sept, at which point he gave up and lost interest (and started a new subject) much better if they had just said..you have improved - keep going. Some schools let students go through to year 13 with a D - if they can get a C at the end of year 13, maybe that is all they are going to get, but it is better than no grade at all!! [for the student, if not for the school league table]
- if none of that works, don't be afraid to start Year 12 again, in a new school. I have two friends whose children did this. Once was a A* star student who had a breakdown through perfectionism and the other was the youngest in his year who should have been in the year down in the first place, academically speaking.
Ds is going for the struggle through and get low grades option, just to get them out of the way, before rethinking his plans. I don't think I can intervene more than I have - mostly my intervention has to remind him that he is not a failure whatever he decides to do and not to give up doing a little, just because a lot seems impossible.